Placebo Effect

²But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit^[1] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

⁴Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” ⁵He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[1] be.”

⁶Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

¹³For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

“O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?"

⁹The Lord told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half.

¹⁷After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. ¹⁸So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt^[1] to the great Euphrates River—

For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" ascends to God for his glory.

⁹But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

²⁹But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

¹³If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

²⁸And we know that God causes everything to work together^[1] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

³³I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because l am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

²⁰For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

¹⁶“For this is how God loved the world: He gave^[1] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.